Anatomy of an End Table and Drawer

Introduction: Anatomy of a DIY End Table and Drawer

Are you planning on building a DIY end table or do you want to make a table of any other type? Then this article and video will uncover the mystery behind how tables fit together, especially tables with drawers or any other furniture with drawers!

Tables with drawers are really enjoyable to build, but how everything fits together can be confusing for beginner woodworkers. So I’m going to show you how my quartersawn white oak nightstands fit together. And in case you like my table design, here are the plans that I designed, in case you want to buy them for only $4.99.

I did some research and discovered a major lack of written specifics on the anatomy of tables, especially how the inside drawer-holding parts fit together. I flipped through new and old books, and checked a bunch of DVDs, and virtually all of them just skip over the details.

So a new woodworker would have to search extremely hard, or inspect well-built antique furniture to uncover the mystery. You certainly won’t find it by looking at most modern furniture. I just think most beginners would have trouble trying to figure it all out on their own. So I’m going to walk you through how a simple table and drawer fits together over the process of a build. This information will be invaluable when you make a table.

In case you’re curious, this particular set of end tables is made out of the lovely quartersawn white oak lumber that I milled up with my friend Todd Horne from a fallen tree, as featured in this video. Before I talk about how all the joinery and parts fit together, lets first look at the names of all the parts of this DIY end table with a drawer.

Parts of a DIY End Table

The below photo diagrams show the different parts of a DIY end table with drawers. For more details, certainly watch the video at the top of this article. I’ve divided the table anatomy into (A) visible exterior parts, (B) hidden interior parts, and (C) drawer parts:

A. Visible exterior parts of an end table with a drawer

“Table Top”: The table top is the horizontal flat part that protects the interior contents of the table, and offers a surface for setting items on. These particular table tops were made by gluing up several smaller pieces of quartersawn white oak because I wanted less seasonal moisture movement, but mostly because I wanted wood figure on the entire top. It’s really hard to find figured wood that’s 18″ wide.

“Apron”: The aprons (sometimes called “skirts”) are the sides and back that enclose three sides of the table. The aprons have tenons that fit into mortises cut into the legs. The rear tenons are beveled with a 45 degree angle to allow the side and rear tenons to meet in the rear legs without getting in the way of the other.

“Tapered Leg”: Table Legs are thin vertical pieces that hold the table up. Legs can be tapered (as pictured above), straight, turned on a lathe (with circular elements), carved, or a mixture of any of these. I prefer the delicate and simple appearance of tapered table legs, which is representative of the Shaker style of furniture. But you may like straight legs from Arts & Crafts furniture or more fancy turned or carved legs from classical furniture styles.

“Drawer Pull”: A drawer pull is a handle or knob that is attached to a drawer front to enable the opening of the drawer. Drawer pulls can be attached with screws or, in the case above, a wedged tenon.

“Drawer Rails”: Drawer rails connect the two front legs, and create a frame for insertion of the drawer.

The lower drawer rail has a double tenon that fits into two small mortises in the front legs, and the upper drawer rail has dovetailed ends that are lapped into the tops of the front legs.

B. Hidden Interior parts of an end table

“Spacers”: Spacers (or “doublers”) fill in the space between the table legs and apron to offer a lateral limit to the drawer, to prevent the drawer from moving side to side.

Historically these spacers were made from a secondary wood, like Tulip Poplar or some species of Pine. The spacers in the above photo are made from poplar. They are glued to the side rails. Glue is sufficiently strong to hold the spacers in place.

“Drawer Runners”: Drawer runners give the drawers a surface to slide on, and prevent the drawer from dropping out of the bottom opening of the table.

Drawer runners are simply glued onto the drawer spacers. The runners are level with the lower drawer rails.

“Kickers”: Drawer kickers are like runners, as they restrain the movement of the drawer.

But they sit level with the upper drawer rail and help keep the drawer pushed snugly against the drawer runner.

“Drawer Rails”: As mentioned above, drawer rails connect the two front legs, and create a frame for insertion of the drawer.

C. Parts of a Drawer

“Drawer Front”: The drawer front is the only visible part of a closed drawer (aside from the pull) and is made from primary wood (like quartersawn white oak, in this case). Drawer fronts usually feature the most visually pleasing wood on the table, as it is the most visible of all table parts. A groove is plowed into the inner side of the drawer front to accept the drawer bottom.

“Drawer Sides”: The left and right drawer sides are connected to the drawer front with half-blind dovetails. Drawer sides are usually made from a secondary wood, like Tulip Poplar or some species of Pine. This saves the furniture maker money, and lightens the drawer. The drawer sides also have grooves plowed into the inner sides to accept the drawer bottom.

“Drawer Back”: Like the drawer sides, the drawer back is also made of a secondary wood, and is connected to the drawer sides via through-dovetail joints. The drawer bottom is shorter than the drawer sides and front, to allow the drawer bottom to escape underneath it when seasonal changes in humidity cause expansion and contraction of the drawer bottom.

“Drawer Pull”: A drawer pull is a handle or knob that is attached to a drawer front to enable the opening of the drawer. Drawer pulls can be attached with screws or, in the case above, a wedged tenon. I made these pulls with chisels, rasps, and sandpaper.

“Drawer Bottom”: The drawer bottom holds all the contents of the drawer, and prevents them from falling out. Drawer bottoms can be made of plywood (because it doesn’t expand and contract much), but a superior custom drawer is made out of solid wood, like poplar or pine (secondary woods).

Solid drawer bottoms allow a thicker bottom, with edges that are beveled with a handplane to fit into the grooves in the sides and front. Antique drawers usually have the handplane marks on the bottom. I used a bandsaw to resaw a poplar board for my bottom, milled up the two halves, and glued them together to form a solid bottom.

As mentioned above, the drawer is built to manage the seasonal movement of the drawer bottom. Wood doesn’t expand and contract lengthwise, but it does expand & contract widthwise. So furniture makers arrange the drawer bottom in a way to allow the expansion to occur out the back of the drawer.

As the above photos show, the drawer bottom sits in the grooves that were plowed into the drawer sides and drawer front, and then sits on the drawer back. The drawer bottom is screwed into the drawer back with one or two screws (only one screw for a small drawer like this). The pilot hole in the drawer bottom is drilled wider than the screw to prevent the drawer from splitting with seasonal movement. It’s like wearing stretchy pants during the holiday season.

How an End Table & Drawer are Assembled

Now I’ll talk about how all the parts fit together when you make a table, including (a) Constructing the Table Frame (visible exterior parts), (b) Constructing the Spacers & Runners (Hidden Interior parts), (c) Drawer Construction and Drawer Fitting, and (d) How to Attach a Table Top. I’ll also include a section on finishing the tables. 

A. Constructing the Table Frame (visible exterior parts)

This DIY end table fits together with tenons on the aprons, inserted into mortises that are cut into the four legs. The rear tenons are beveled to allow them to clear each other inside the mortise. The rear legs, of course, each have a mortise on each side to accept the aprons.

The front two legs are different. Like the rear legs, they have mortises that accept the apron tenons, but on the interior faces are mortises that are cut to provide an opening for the drawer.

These mortises hold the drawer rails. The lower drawer rail uses a double tenon and double mortise to prevent the rail from twisting over time:

The upper drawer rail uses a dovetail lapped into the top of the leg (pictured below). The dovetailed rail sits proud of the top of the leg so it can be hand planed down later when fitting the table top. Don’t worry if your rail dovetails look ugly. They’ll be covered with the table top later.

For aesthetic purposes I set my drawer rails back about 1/16 of an inch from the front of the table legs to create a “reveal”, as pictured above and below:

The reveal adds visual interest to the rails and the tapered leg. The tapers on the table legs usually start a few inches down from the drawer rails:

B. Constructing the Spacers, Runners, & Kickers (Hidden Interior parts)

After the table frame is glued up, it’s time to make custom spacers, runners, and kickers. These parts are made out of a secondary wood, like Poplar or pine, and can be permanently attached to the table frame with wood glue. The glue is certainly strong enough to keep them attached, without using nails or screws. I like to use this liquid hide glue for this step.

I first glue on the top and bottom spacers (or doublers). I use plenty of wood clamps to ensure that the spacers will stay snugly against the table aprons:

The spacers are made to be flush with the four legs (pictured above). Leave the clamps on for a couple of hours.

Next, the drawer runners and kickers are glued to the spacers. The drawer runners give a platform for the drawer to run along, and the kickers are added up top to keep the drawer tight against the runners.

So essentially the drawer rails, drawer runners, drawer kickers, and drawer spacers create the boundaries to ensure your drawer will fit nice and snug. The more precise you are with building these interior parts, the better your drawer will fit in the table.

Bonus: Wiping Varnish Finish Recipe for Tables

This is an easy, lovely, and protective wood finish recipe that is based on a recipe that my friend Will Myers shared with me. I like it because it brings out the figure and gives depth with some oil, but offers protection that a table needs, without getting a plastic look.

• Mix Natural Danish Oil and Satin Polyurethane in a 50/50 mixture. I like to use a small jam-sized canning jar (8 oz – 12 oz. size).
• Use a lint-free cloth, or old t-shirt scraps to wipe on a first coat. Wait 10-15 minutes, and then wipe off the excess with a clean cloth. Let the first coat dry for three days.
• Lightly sand or scuff between coats with 0000 steel wool, an ultra fine Scotch-Brite pad, or very fine sandpaper. This finish really doesn’t build enough film to need wet sanding, so just lightly dry scuff between coats.
• Repeat the above steps two more times.
• After the last (third) coat has dried for three days, lightly scuff the surface again, and buff with a nice furniture wax and a cotton cloth (an old T-shirt). You can buy my “Ye Olde Beeswax Wood Finish For Furniture” here. Waiting a week before applying a wax finish is even better so that the oil finish gets a nice long time to harden. Don’t leave the wax on longer than 10 minutes before buffing it with a soft cotton cloth.
• Tip: This finish will thicken up in the jar and be unusable after a few weeks, so if you have leftovers, I spray a bit of Bloxygen to preserve it and then close the lid. I also spray this into my danish oil can and polyurethane can (and all my varnishes). Bloxygen is argon gas that displaces the oxygen, which preserves your wood finishes. It has saved me a lot of money in wasted wood finish. It’s especially good to spray in Waterlox, which tends to coagulate more quickly than other finishes I’ve used.